(Shownotes: http://www.podcastscience.fm/?p=8049) Alan (A): For the first time since we launched the podcast almost 6 years ago, this episode is in English. And the reason for this is that we have an incredible guest live from the US: Carl Zimmer is with us tonight. And we are going to talk about viruses. This is March 1st, 2016. […]

Excerpt: “I strongly encourage the museums to take the first step in the right direction, by abandoning their obvious contempt for popular culture, and by taking a page out their competitors’ playbook. By competitors, I mean anyone or anything winning the battle for attention: Ikea for instance. The only word that comes to mind if I think of the Ikea experience on a Saturday is torture and yet, people are lining up to get in. Their genuine attachment and loyalty to the brand is no coincidence: it’s called marketing. Such emotional attachments don’t just happen, one has to build relationships. Museums must develop this expertise if they want to reach new audiences; for instance among the people who go to Ikea on Saturdays and watch reality shows on Sundays.”